Stories from Nature

You may weave simple story about the Flower in your garden, the Butterfly which came to visit the Flowers, the Crow sitting on the Tree opposite to your house, the Sun, Moon and Rain… They do not require to understand the scientific explanations in these nature stories. Benefits of saying nature stories is that your child sees the same flowers, trees, birds, cats and dogs everyday in her immediate environment.. so she can relate to these stories better than stories about a snowman, penguin, crocodile, flamingo which your child might not see in his environment. It also brings a sense of security to the child when the story is repeated often.

These stories can be modified for 3+ children by adding more details to the story with rich vocabulary(verbs and adjectives).

Telling stories to children helps in language development, imagination, creativity and much more. Have you ever wondered how children learn language? Do they start with ABC, no! It is through everyday conversations and listening to stories. Grammar too is learnt by using the language in your everyday conversations, not through books or flash cards!

Stories from your personal life

Here children love to relate to your childhood, Where did you live? Who did you play with? Who and what did you love? As you share your real life incidents with them, they especially study your feelings. They need to hear their whole family group spoken of with loving and positive interest. Children can learn from us to respect and empathise with other family members.

Choose one memory and prepare to tell this as a little story. Children can make impressions of the stories you say which may deeply influence their adult life.

Try to have one meal a day together as a family, share these little stories during meal -time or when you spend time together as a family. This will indeed bring about family bonding, a sense of warmth and love among children.

The stories told are an important legacy you will leave your child in terms of a world-view. Storytelling also helps children satisfy their curiosity or bring out latent feelings. The precious thread of storytelling strengthen the parent-child bond.

Also Read : What kind of stories to tell children (part-3) and Reading story books

How to decide consciously?

First things first! – Decide on a budget

Gifts are meant to speak your heart, not your wallet. Decide on a budget before you start looking at options. It is always the thought that matters, so even if you’re looking at low-budget options you will find plenty of thoughtful options to choose from. If you are buying at a store take help from the store staff. If you are buying online, websites usually have a filter/ sort by price option, which will help you narrow down your search. There are many thoughtful gifting choices even when you are on a tight budget. So there is no need to really compromise.

Consider the child’s needs

Spend some time thinking through the child’s age and look to gift something that may complement the milestones the child is close to. For example, new mothers and infants can be introduced to eco-conscious product ranges like handmade soaps and creams, cloth diapers or baby carriers. If the child is around 6 months old, the parents will be weaning the child into solids, some meal time accessories like plates, cutlery, furniture, bibs and crumb catchers may help. On the other hand if the baby is around a year old and just about taking his or her first steps, a pull along toy or soft soles may help. The trick is to place yourselves in the parents shoes and pick something that they will most likely need at that stage. Also, like I said earlier, if you do not know, it should be perfectly OK to check in with the parents before making a choice. They may have a wish list already which they can share.

Books

Books are excellent gifts to pick for children across all ages. Indian publications like Tulika, Pratham or Tota have some amazing titles that touch upon various nuances of childhood. The Indianness of the stories makes them very relatable and enriches day to day experiences for the child. Board books from these publications are suited for infants too. If you are looking for books for older children, books by eminent writers like Sudha Murthy, Devadutt Pattanaik and Ruskin Bond are excellent choices.